Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-04-22
JUNE 9th.

- - ~ - ~ GHAH
| WHO ARE COBIING-GoV. F1Tz LEE TO BE
| HERE-LETTER FROM GEN. AVERILL'S
| CHIEF OF sTAFF-AN EX-CONFEDER-
! ATE GENERAL EIGHTY-TWO YEARS
! OLD CoMING-THE PLANS FOR THE
DAY.
| &C.. &C., &C.
| The 9th Of June is to be great day in
Staunton and besides having local inter-
est will have national Importance. The
Decoration Day observance on that day
will bring together;more distinguished men
| from all parts of our country who partici-
pated in the civil war than have ever been
here before. The arrangements will be OF
different character from those which
| have heretofore marked the day. The
main events of the day, after the floral
procession which decorates the graves.
will take place in the Opera House. There
Gov. Fitz Lee will welcome his old West
Point class-mate, Gen. Averill; Gen. John
Echols will welcome Gov. and LIZ. Gen.
John B. Gordon Of Georgia. and Gen.
John. D. Imboden will welcome Gen. X. A.
jackson of Tennessee.
GEN. w. W. AvERILL
of the Union Army, was a claesmate OF
Gen. Fitz Lee at West Point, and the two
soldiers have always held each other in
high esteem-an esteem not lessened by
tho hot do
cavalry commanders during the war.
Writing to Gen. Imboden, latter he had &C.
cepted the invitation of the Memorial AS
ISOLATION to come to Stanton, the first
question Gen. Averili asked was, 'sWill
. Fitz Lee be there 2" Gen. Imboden showed
the letter to Gov. Lee who replied, s.Tell
! him I'll be there" When campaigning In
West Virginia, Averill encountered Gen.
Echols' division and a battle ensued in
which the Confederates were Worsted and
forced back. When Gen. Averell arrived at
Gen. Ecbols' home he Immediately had
guard put around it with instructions that
nothing was to be touched. A few years
ago he and Gen. Echols met in New York
where they formed pleasant acquaint-
ance. He will not 6nd himself without
acquaintance when he gets to Staunton.
One of them is Meade F. White who, then
mere boy, was courier for Gen. Fitz
Lee and was captured by Averill's COM
mand. Another is Maj. S. Nj. ost who.
while connected with the old U. S. Army
knew him on the frontier before the civil
war. Gen. Averill will bring with him
his wife and daughter and several other
party.
ANOTHER DISTINGUISHED GUEST.
Another distinguished guest who viii
come with Gen. Az party will be VIM.
Y. Reynolds. distinguished Democrat of
New York State and friend of President
| Cleveland, who secured his nomination as
| Governor of that State, nomination
which led to his election to the Presi-
| dency.
| A LETTER FROM GEN. AVERILL'S CHIEF
OF STAFF.
/ A guest who has declined, but who it is
/ yet hoped will come, is Gen. VIM. Rumsey,
| who was Averill's chief of staff, but is
now one of the Judges of the Supreme
Court of the State of New York. He sent
the following letter in reply tdthe invita-
| ton of the Association
BATH, N. Y, April 10, 1887
G. Julian Pratt, Esq, President augusta Ne
| mortal ASSN.
| My DEAR SIR Il have the honor to &C.
knowledge the receipt of your letter ef April
| 9Th, inviting me to join in the memorial SER
vices at Staunton on June 9th. I am very
much obliged to you for the invitation. l
have however, term of court to hold begin
/ ming June 18th, and for that reason L am very
] sorry that cannot accept it.
Whatever we may think as to the right or
wrong of that great conflict, during which,
| quarter of a century ago l first saw your beau
| tiful Valley, and however hard and bitter
were the feelings engecdered by it, we can
| congratulate ourselves that we are able now
| to forbear the discussion and forget the bit
| terness and meet on common ground as citi-
gems of one country, and that you of the South
and we of the North are rivals now only in
| our efforts to serve her.
| May ask you to convey to the Association
! of which you are President, my appreciation
of the invitation sent to me. I hope that at
some time I may be able to meet some of you
| and make closer acquaintance than would
| have been agreeable to us twenty-five years
| ago.
Respectfully your obt serv't,
WILLIAM RUMsEY
GEN. GORDON OF GEORGIA.
Gen. John B. Gordon, of Ca, writing
| under the impression that the duty of
making an address on the occasion,
would be imposed on him replies to
the invitation that "While it would
| do my heart good if, under differ
ent conditions, were able to respond to
your summons" yet under the pressure
of his official duties it would beimpossible
for him to prepare an address. He has
since been assured that there will be no
| prepared addresses on the occasion, and
! 1T is confidently expected now that he will
| be here.
GEN. A. e. JACKSON.
Gen. A. E. Jackson. of Jonesboro, Ten
nessee, is one Of the oldest Confederate
| Generals now living, being in his eighty
first year. He went into the war at fifty
I FIVE years of age and rose to the rank OF
General. One of his exploits was the
defeat Of the Federal General Burbridge
and his colored troops at Saltville, Va, In
1854 Old as he was, he fought through
! the entire war in active service in Tennes-
see and Southwestern Virginia. AS a
fighter he takes after his old friend 'Old
| Hickory'' jackson, of whom he was a